Lost
by isis-sg1
Summary: Piper has to sacrifice everything for her family. Will there be a happy ending or is Piper destined to be on her own ?
1. The start

The sun had risen early and the bright light streaming through the window stirred piper form her sleep. Lazily turning over so she was facing her husband she smiled slowly before opening her eyes. He hadn't been called away during the night like he normally was. The mornings where he was still there were rare and so every minute was treasured. 
    
      "Hey" she whispered into his ear, waking him. He also smiled when he realised what had woken him up.
    
      "Morning" he replied in a murmur, snaking his arm round her waist.
    
      "Have I told you I loved you recently" she asked looking into his eyes.
    
      "Not since last night when we-" Piper's lips on his interrupted him. Not that he minded. She broke the kiss quickly to answer.
    
      "Well I do" she said before joining there lips again. 
    
    Piper couldn't imagine her life without him. They had been together for just over a year now and she loved every minute of married life. 
    
      An hour later Piper made her first appearance downstairs. Deciding to wear her favorite pair of jeans and a simple black top she glided down the stairs and walked into the kitchen, finding her two sisters Paige and Phoebe already tucking into toast and large cups of coffee.
    
       "Somebody got some last night" Paige commented on Piper's large smile before handing Piper with one of the large mugs of coffee.
    
       "And this morning" Piper added, still smiling
    
       "Eww" Phoebe exclaimed causing all three to laugh.
    
      "So where is Leo Piper? You tire him out?" Paige asked 
    
       "As funny as that would be... no. He just got called away, he'll probably be away all day, which gives us plenty of time to have a girls only day. I'm thinking shopping, manicures and a Brad Pitt movie. 
    
    What d'ya think?" Looking at her sisters hopefully.
    
       "Count me in" Paige answered 
    
       "I'm not sure, I've got work to do" Phoebe sighed when she saw Piper and Paige doing puppy dog eyes in a ploy to get her to say yes. "Oh alright! Lets do it, but Piper you are buying us lunch"
    
       "Deal" Piper replied, another smile on her face.
    
    Another hour later, the three sisters were roaming the shopping streets of San Francisco. Already weighed down with bags from various shops they were heading towards a nearby café for lunch. 
    
       "So Paige, can I borrow that nice top tonight?" Phoebe asked as they had reached the café.
    
       "I only just bought it Phoebe; I wanna wear it tonight, anyway if you liked it so much, why didn't you buy one too?"
    
      "What's the point of having two when you can just borrow you're sisters?" She answered cheekily
    
    They sat down at a table in the corner and ordered.
    
      "Hey, can you two look after P3 tonight, Leo's got the evening off and we wanna go out somewhere other than the club" Piper looked up when she got no answer.
    
    What she saw alarmed her. Her sisters were frozen, in fact the whole café and probably beyond the café was frozen. Even if she could freeze that much, which she hadn't, she couldn't freeze her sisters. 
    
      "Okay what's going on?" she asked the frozen room.
    
       "Come with me and you'll find out" A voice told her and before she could do anything she found herself in darkness
    
     Phoebe and Paige unfroze, quickly realizing Piper was missing, Looking around to see if it was something other than paranormal they realised that it wasn't.
    
       "Where's Piper"
    
       "I don't know, we better get back to the manor and call Leo" They left hurriedly, the sooner they were home and with the book of shadows, the sooner they could find their older sister.


	2. The decision

   "Leo!" Phoebe shouted as her and Paige stormed through the main doors to the manor. They headed straight for the attic which housed their book of shadows.
    
       "Leo!" Phoebe shouted again, she was rewarded a minute later when he orbed in.
    
       "What is it?" he asked concerned. He faced the two sisters who were already flipping the old pages of the book.
    
       "Piper's missing, can you see if you can sense her?" Paige asked, looking up at him.
    
       "Whoah, Piper's missing! What happened?" Leo asked, even more concerned now he knew his wife was missing and could potentially be hurt.
    
        "We we'd just sat down in that cool little café that does great pasta when she'd gone; I meant is just disappeared from in front of us. It was like she'd frozen us and walked off, or blinked or something else entirely, you know something evil… Can you sense her?"
    
        "No" Leo said after a second of trying to use one of his many whitelighter powers to sense where Piper was.
    
       "Okay then, lets try scrying" Phoebe said grabbing the map and crystal. She was about to leave the attic when she saw Leo still standing there just staring at the book.
    
       "Don't worry Leo, we'll find her. We've been in worse situations than this. I promise you, by tonight she'll be laughing it all off while cooking us all dinner"
    
       "I hope you're right Phoebe, cos something doesn't feel right" Leo replied before orbing out. Probably to go talk to the Elders. Maybe they knew something. 
    
       "I hope I'm right too" Phoebe told herself before walking out the room.
    
    Piper looked around, or as well as she could in darkness. The air was cold around her and everything was silent.
    
       "Hello?" She shouted, her voice echoing around her.
    
       "Is anyone there? …… Leo! Leo!" She tried but no-one came. She was about to find an exit when a silhouette appeared in front of her.
    
       "There isn't much time, you must make a decision" The figure told her, his voice demanding and rough.
    
       "What decision? Who are you?" Piper demanded.
    
       "You have a decision to make charmed one!" The figure bellowed.
    
       "Well tell me the decision I have to make and I'll make it okay?" She was already getting annoyed at his attitude.
    
       "It is nothing to take lightly. You have till tonight to decide"
    
       "Decide what!" Piper replied, shouting her frustration at the figure.
    
       "Whether you're family live or die" he answered. Piper looked at the figure in shock. 
    
       "Of course I want my family to live. What choice is that?" Piper asked.
    
       "A sacrifice. You must sacrifice to save" He countered.
    
       "I'll do whatever it takes to save my family" 
    
       "Even what is asked of you charmed one? The lives of your family come at a price.
    
    A high price. Are you willing to pay?" He asked
    
      "Just tell me what it is"
    
      "To save the lives of your family they must forget. Every person must forget. You will be forgotten. Any proof that you ever existed will be erased from existence.  You will no longer be known to them as a sister or a husband.  The power of three will become the Power of two and to them, has always been. You, charmed one, must be a stranger to everyone whoever knew or loved you. So I ask again. Are you willing to pay?"


	3. The choice

Leo orbed in just as Phoebe and Paige walked through the door. They had been asking some contacts 
    
    that they knew to see if anyone knew anything. No one did.
    
       "Any luck?" Leo asked hopefully.
    
       "Sorry. You?" Leo looked down at the ground in defeat. "I even went down there to see if I could sense her. 
    
    Nearly got caught" Leo added. "You promised phoebe"
    
      "Look we still have a time tonight to do some spells or potions, there's still stuff we haven't tried. 
    
    I know Piper is coming back. You have to trust us Leo" Phoebe looked at Leo who nodded slightly before orbing out again.
    
      "Why?" Piper asked.
    
      "It is what has to be done. To save your family"
    
      "Why are you so interested in saving my family?" She asked again.
    
      "The charmed line has to be saved; the destiny still has to be fulfilled. You and you alone can change the future."
    
      "What happens in the future that causes my family to die?" 
    
      "You. You make a wrong choice. All routes forward lead to death. You kill them. No premonition or 
    
    different choice can change that. This is why you have to make the sacrifice."
    
      "I need some time, to say goodbye"
    
      "You have been granted this. You have till ten o'clock tonight when the change will happen. 
    
    You are very brave for doing this."
    
       "I have no choice"
    
       "You have made the right decision"
    
       "For doing this I want one thing" Piper paused. The figure was silent so she continued.
    
       "I want to remember. I don't want to forget them. 
    
    I'll do this for my family but don't let me forget" Piper pleaded, near tears. Crying could be saved for later.
    
       "It will be done as you wish. You will return now" Before Piper could speak again she had been transported back home. 
    
    The family was frozen like before and after a second they unfroze and noticed Piper standing in front of them.
    
       "Okay, what happened" asked Paige. Her hands on her hips. 
    
       "A lot" Piper answered cryptically. Walking past everyone she headed towards the kitchen. 
    
    Intending to down a large drink before doing what she had to do. Glancing at the clock on the kitchen counter 
    
    she saw that it was six O'clock. Time must have passed quicker here while she was away. That didn't give her much time. 
    
    She turned around to find her sisters and husband standing at the doorway blocking her exit. 
    
       "Tell us what happened Piper. We want to help" Paige pleaded. 
    
       "You have every right to know. But I can't tell you, not right now anyway. 
    
    After I've sorted some stuff out ok? We'll all sit down and I'll explain everything. I promise" Piper felt so guilty for not telling them the truth.
    
     But mostly because she made a promise she knew she couldn't keep. Her family agreed and let her pass. 
    
    They watched her leave the room, then silently walk upstairs.  


	4. The goodbye

While Piper spent her time in her bedroom her sisters went out. They had to look after the club while Piper wasn't up to it. Piper had hugged her sister's goodbye for the last time; to them it felt like she was hugging them like they were never going to see her again, not knowing what was to come.  Leo had orbed out an hour ago as the Elder's wanted to talk to him about something. What they didn't know was that while Piper was up in her room she was packing. She took everything she would need and as soon as Leo had left she left her room to take other reminders, that photo Grams had took of the three of them outside the manor, a photo of her, phoebe and Paige taken a couple of months ago, a few trinkets and stuff that she found around the house. Finally she opened the class cabinet in the living room and pulled out the photo of her and Leo's wedding, placing carefully in her bag. She was just about to leave when she realised she'd left something up in her bedroom. Running up quickly she didn't realise someone had followed her.

    "Why are you're bags packed?" Leo asked, worried

   "Leo"

   "What's going on Piper?" he asked again

   "I can't tell you, but I want you to know how much I love you no matter what happens" Leo started to realise what that meant, Piper was leaving him, tears started to fall

   "Piper, don't leave, I love you so much" This made Piper cry. She placed her hand gently on his cheek.

   "I will never forget you Leo, even when you do" Confused and scared, Leo grabbed Piper and kissed her passionately, half hoping that it would make her stay and half scared that he would never see her again.

Saying goodbye, going away

Seems like goodbye's such a hard thing to say

Touching a hand, wondering why

It's time for saying goodbye

Saying goodbye, why is it sad?

Makes us remember the good times we've had

Much more to say, foolish to try

It's time for saying goodbye

Dont want to leave, but we both know

Sometimes it's better to go

Somehow I know we'll meet again

Not sure quite where, and I dont know just when

You're in my heart, so until then

Wanna smile, wanna cry

Saying goodbye

  "I'm so sorry Leo" Piper said as they broke apart. She tried to leave but he held onto her.

  "Don't leave me Piper" Leo said through tears

  "I have to Leo, to save my family, to save you, its my only choice, I'm sorry Leo, I love you" Piper froze her husband before choking and crying her heart out, silently and quickly she left the house, placing her belongings in her car and driving off, tears and rain blocking her view. Leo wouldn't unfreeze before 10, by that time Piper would be long gone.


End file.
